Ahtone will speak on the continuing impact of the female deities featured in the artists’ tribal genesis stories as models of female behavior and gender roles during her curatorial lecture at the OSUMA (date TBA).

From the Belly of Our Being is an exhibition of fine art by contemporary Indigenous women working in sculpture, painting, jewelry, ceramics, and installation, whose art is known to honor the feminine forces found in the artists’ tribal genesis stories.

This exhibition explores how these feminine forces continue to inform the ideals of feminine behavior and gendered role, the ability to be both delicate and gentle, while also being a force that is powerful and bold. The artworks in this exhibition represent those stories, where these feminine forces are of great intellect, wisdom, skill, and generosity. This exhibition provides an opportunity for the artists to express how these forces live through them and within the art.